Dubrovnik--Perhaps the Most Beautiful City in the World!!

My husband and I visited Dubrovnik for three days in 2007, and we knew we had to return. I agree with this description of Dubrovnik that I read in a guide book: "If Disney wished to create an ideal set for a romantic movie, they couldn't have done any better than Dubrovnik."

Although the war with Serbia in 1991-1992 destroyed many of the historic buildings within the ancient walls of Dubrovnik, they were all rebuilt with care. I find the history of a few of these sites especially interesting:

The Lazareti--built for plague control!
This large rectangular building sits outside of the walls near the ploce and was actually a quarantine area for the plague! Yes, it was built in the 17th century and people entering the city were required to spend 40 days there until they were determined to be free of disease.

The City Wall--a long, scenic walk--If you don't pay the 50 kuna (approximately $10) to walk the city walls, you will be missing some of the most fantastic views of the city and the sea! It's a long walk (almost 2000 meters), especially when the sun is shining, so take a hat, wear good walking shoes and don't forget your camera. (See 15 pictures of the view from the Dubrovnik wall.)
 

The Great Onofrio's fountain--a life saver
This fountain and Dubrovnik's water supply system were built in the 1400-1500s and this ancient water system actually helped keep the people alive during the siege of Dubrovnik in 1991-1992 when the Serbians held them in the city without access to food and water. One Croatian told me that it was during this time that Dubrovnik citizens became familiar with American peanut butter (which can now be found in some Croatian grocery stores). Apparently Americans dropped food packages to the citizens trapped in Dubrovnik and some of those food packages contained peanut butter, which was unknown to Croatians before that time.

A Walking City Full of Shopping Opportunities

The entire city within the walls is pedestrian, and the limestone streets shine from the constant tourist traffic. Many of the shops have the same unique half-arch shaped door and window entrances, and shops are everywhere!
 
Read more about shopping in Croatia or in Dubrovnik.  

There are also restaurants everywhere. Pizza, pasta and seafood are most common and almost all of the restaurants have outside seating even if only simple wooden tables lining the walls of a narrow side street.
Read Dubrovnik Restaurant Reviews.

Watch out for the birds
Every time we walked in the old city in the evening just before dark, we found that the birds overhead could be quite a nuisance. Something seems to attract great flocks of them to the old town at that time of day, and there is a lot of screeching and wild flying. At times it actually resembled a scene from the old Alfred Hitchcock movie, "The Birds"! I was unfortunate enough one evening to have one drop a little gift on my arm!